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No £12.50 for the people who didnt start smoking in the first place

well regardless - it's hardly an incentive for most smokers - I smoke rollies these days (or BF's duty free Turkish fags ), and my tobacco is either free or about £7 for 500g.

However a box of 20 cigarettes now costs £5.50 upwards.......presuming someone smokes 20 a day (which many smokers easily do) £12.50 is only 2 days worth of fags at most

charliecat, you could also argue that the amount the NHS spends on treating smokers discriminates against non-smokers anyway. And the £12.50 is on top of what the smoker will save in not buying cigarettes - which could add up to a good incentive. I think it's an interesting pilot, and at least someone's making the effort to do something about helping people kick a habit which may make them ill.

This is the most hilarious thing I've heard in ages. As you say, OP, no money if you choose not to take up smoking in the first place!!

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I've never smoked, so do I not get a sweetner like this?

Bad behaviour is always rewarded to go good but good behaviour is never noted.

yeah we get free fruit when we're pregnant too if we stop smoking, nothing for those who dont smoke in the first place

feckin joke innit

Gordon Bennett. I think I'll pretend to be a trying-to-reform smoker - could do with an extra £12.50 a week.

POLITICAL CORRECTNESS GAWWWN MAAAAAD!

You would get away with it - bet they dont check to see if you really did smoke before you gave up they just check after you gave up to make sure you dont smoke

What with this and the money for drug addicts a few weeks ago, I'm starting to feel the way DD did when the "naughty" boys in the class were given sweets for behaving for a day, and she of course gets nothing for being good as a matter of course.

FFS

But hay if you lose your mind after fighting for your country - then your wife will lose her home to pay for your full time care

how about a £12.50/week pay rise to soldiers?

Habbibu - That is the strangest argument I have ever heard - the amount the NHS spends on treating smokers discriminates against non-smokers anyway. Thats just stupid am I discriminated against because i don't use IVF, or drug rehab for example?

cue lots of people pretending to be smokers in the dundee area...actually they should be fined for living there (used to live in dundee for my sins)

My first thought was of lots of non-smokers in Dundee pretneding to have given up! What's next- payments for criminals who stay on the straight and narrow, while non-criminals get nothing?

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In a sense, yes, Flashman - and that's how the NHS works. In this case the resource goes directly to the "patient" before they're sick, instead of on treating them when they're sick. This is in essence a preventative measure which may save the NHS money which may then go to support a service you do use. Who knows? It may work, it may not, but either way, if you don't smoke you're no worse off that you would have been so why do you care? I'm with Starlight - they are trying something different - let's not shoot it down in flames before we see if it might just work.

Habbibu - that is the quickest 180 I have ever seen earlier you were against the 12.50 and now you are all for it. I don't smoke and I really could not care less.

If the Durham/Dundee smokers switched to Toque snuff, which costs £2.99 for a weeks supply, they would easily give up smoking and make a £9.51 profit every week.

'Oh FGS! What is it with people looking over their shoulder all the time, so scared that someone might be getting something that they're not getting!!!' -
don't think this is how people feel at all actually. Don't think anyone is 'scared' - just pissed off that this country seems happy to throw other people's hard earned money at ridiculous politically correct schemes which have a cat in hell's chance of actually making a difference.
How would this be implemented? What is to stop people pretending to have been smokers simply to put themselves on an equal footing financially with ex smokers? What about once the smokers have got their freebie? Are they gonna take up the fags again?
It's a pile of shite!!

im a smoker but it was my stupid decision to start and when i stop it will be my decision. i disagree with getting paid to stop everyone knows this idea will be abused, i work hard and pay my taxes so why should it go to someone who most likely doesnt work! my sister is in the armed forces in iraq and i would much rather money went to them!!

I can't see how it can be abused - to get it the person will have to have a weekly carbon minoxide (sp??) test to show that they are not smoking. Also the money will be put on a card to get on on food, but no fags or booze. Would you do that for just 12.50 a week?